Explaining monogamy and polygyny in human societies: Comment on Kanazawa and Still

Kanazawa and Still (1999) argue for a female choice theory of marriage practices. This theory assumes that women determine the marriage form and that the will choose polygyny when the resource inequalities among men are great and monogamy when these inequalities are relatively low. I argue that the theory is problematic for a number of reasons, most importantly because it ignores male choice. Polygyny results primarily from male rather than female choice because it flows from the male desire for sexual variety, a desire that has evolved to promote male reproductive success. As for monogamy, Richard Alexanders theory, which argues that nation-states impose monogamy on their male citizens in order to equalize their reproductive opportunities, is suggested as the best theory currently available, and empirical data are presented to support this claim.